Chapter 184: Xiao Dai Got Her Another Big Job

Chapter 184: Chapter 184: Xiao Dai Got Her Another Big Job

Xiao Dai was there too, anxiously paddling its four flippers.

However, it was carrying a young dolphin on its back and didn’t dare swim too fast, lest the dolphin fall off.

It finally swam near the fishing boat. But it was nighttime, and even if the crew weren’t asleep, they were resting and chatting somewhere else. No one was standing at the rail looking down into the water.

Seeing that no one was paying it any mind, Xiao Dai looked back at the large dolphin behind it, as if feeling wronged.

In the daylight, many people would have quickly recognized the famous creatures for what they were: dolphins.

Hundreds of them, packed closely together.

The dolphins circled the fishing boat once, then accelerated and came alongside again, striking one side of the vessel with their bodies.

The smoothly sailing fishing boat rocked violently from the impact.

Wu Mengyue, who was at the helm, jolted. Her footing faltered, but she relied on her experience to react immediately.

The other crew members who had been chatting were thrown about; some fell to the deck, while others slammed into objects.

Han Xiaorui and the sleeping crew members were nearly tossed from their beds.

"What’s going on?" Han Xiaorui woke up. As she got dressed, she used her senses to check the situation outside.

Instantly, she sensed Xiao Dai.

Xiao Dai was right beside the boat.

Observing the surroundings from Xiao Dai’s perspective, Han Xiaorui gasped.

’What are these huge things?’

’Upon closer inspection, these behemoths look a lot like the dolphins I’ve seen in books.’

’That little rascal, Xiao Dai, is always finding trouble for me.’

’I only have one fishing boat. If these hundreds of adult dolphins ram it, we could capsize.’

Chen Yishui had also been asleep. Jarred awake by the violent rocking, she ran out of her cabin wearing only her underwear and a tank top.

She leaned over the rail, aimed a flashlight down, and quickly took in the scene on the water.

Chen Yishui gasped. "Dolphins! So many of them!"

Fortunately, the dolphins didn’t strike the boat again.

Just then, Han Xiaorui came out, fully dressed. She said to the crew, "If you’re not dressed, get dressed! If you’re hurt, get patched up!"

Han Xiaorui leaned over the rail, looking down at the sea.

By the ship’s lights and the beam of a flashlight, she found Xiao Dai.

Han Xiaorui was exasperated. "Xiao Dai, did you gather all your buddies in the middle of the night to try and flip my boat?"

Everyone was taken aback when they heard Xiao Dai’s name, and they all turned to look.

And sure enough, there was Xiao Dai.

How could such an intelligent turtle lead a pod of dolphins to ram their boat?

Besides, dolphins were known to be relatively docile sea creatures, generally friendly toward human fishing boats.

Why would they surround the boat and ram it in the middle of the night for no reason? And they only did it once. Were they just trying to say hello?

Through Xiao Dai’s eyes, Han Xiaorui finally saw the huge dolphin spit out what looked like a "big fish" over a meter long.

No, it wasn’t a big fish.

It was a little dolphin, but the little dolphin was injured. The wound was large and wouldn’t be able to heal on its own.

Out here in the ocean, the little dolphin was probably doomed.

They must have come seeking "medical attention."

Han Xiaorui was exasperated again. She really wanted to smack Xiao Dai.

’This son of a turtle is drumming up business for me from everywhere. Scraping barnacles off sea turtles was one thing, and I could let that slide.’

’But now it’s brought a whole pod of dolphins seeking medical care. Does it really think it’s the chief steward of the Dragon Palace or something?’

But since they had come to her for help, Han Xiaorui couldn’t refuse.

Just as Han Xiaorui was about to secretly use a bit of her superpower to heal the little dolphin and send them on their way...

Just then, the sharp-eyed Liang Xiaoyu spotted the little dolphin. "Xiao Rui, look! That little dolphin is injured. Do you think they’re bringing their baby to us for help?"

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui shook her head with a wry smile. ’So much for treating it secretly.’

"I think so," Han Xiaorui replied. "The dolphins probably didn’t mean to ram the boat earlier. They must have gotten anxious when we didn’t notice them."

Sister Lan exclaimed, "My goodness! Are these dolphins really that smart?"

Han Xiaorui replied, "Dolphins are mammals with very high intelligence. An adult dolphin’s intelligence is comparable to that of a seven-year-old child."

"Lower the lifeboat. I’ll go down and get the little dolphin."

Chen Yishui was stunned. "Xiao Rui, are you serious?" she said, incredulous. "We’re fishermen, not vets! We won’t know how to treat it even if we get it on board! This is different from scraping barnacles."

Han Xiaorui explained, "This little dolphin is badly hurt. It’s doomed if we do nothing. We might not be able to treat it ourselves, but if we hurry back to shore, we can get help from marine experts. That should give it a better chance."

Hearing this, Chen Yishui paused for a moment, then gave Han Xiaorui a thumbs-up. "Xiao Rui, you have a good heart."

"They came right to our door; I can’t just turn them away," Han Xiaorui said with a smile. "Let’s hurry and lower the lifeboat. It might be dangerous, so I’ll go down."

Han Xiaorui quickly put on a life jacket.

Chen Yishui chuckled. "How can we let the boat’s owner put herself in danger? I’ll go."

Han Xiaorui wanted to touch the dolphins and communicate with them anyway. "Let’s go together."

And so, the two of them boarded the lifeboat. Han Xiaorui gently reached out and touched the dolphin swimming alongside.

"Since you brought your child to me, I’ll do my best to save it. But I don’t have any medicine on the boat; we have to get it to shore."

"When it’s healthy again, I’ll bring your child back to you."

As soon as Han Xiaorui finished speaking, the large dolphin nudged the injured little dolphin with its head, lifting it up toward her.

Chen Yishui steadied the lifeboat while Han Xiaorui, with help from Xiao Dai, managed to lift the little dolphin onto a smooth, waterproof tarp inside.

The lifeboat was hauled back up, and the crew quickly moved the little dolphin into one of the live wells.

Han Xiaorui had already ordered the crew to clear out a live well just for the little dolphin.

In the process, Han Xiaorui had already channeled a bit of her Water Ability into the little dolphin to make sure it would survive.

The wound still looked terrifying, but that was now just superficial.

Han Xiaorui went back to the rail and said to Xiao Dai and the enormous dolphin, "Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to save the little dolphin. You don’t need to follow us."

Despite her words, the dolphin was reluctant to leave and continued to follow close behind.

It was the little dolphin’s mother.

In that moment, Han Xiaorui could feel the dolphin’s emotions.

Seeing that she couldn’t persuade it, Han Xiaorui gave up.

"Sister Shui, haul in the nets. Then, full speed ahead back to shore," Han Xiaorui commanded, wasting no time.

"You got it!" Chen Yishui replied. "On it!"

Liang Xiaoyu was a very sentimental person. Seeing that the dolphins hadn’t left but were still following the fishing boat, it was obvious they couldn’t bear to leave the little dolphin.

"Xiao Rui, a mother’s love is a powerful thing, no matter the species. Even dolphins are the same."

Han Xiaorui nodded. "It’s true. When things seem hopeless, a mother is always the bravest, always trying to find a glimmer of hope for her child, no matter the odds."

The crew members were all women, and mothers themselves.

They all understood the feelings and responsibilities of a mother, and in that moment, they empathized with the great mother dolphin.

They felt both moved and saddened by the sight.

"You know, that Xiao Dai is just like the Turtle Minister from the Dragon Palace of the East Sea—meddling in everything and drumming up business for us from all over."

Liang Xiaoyu’s comment made everyone laugh.